Juneau – Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) has released the following statement regarding the decision by the Alaska Legislative Council to create a working group to update the Alaska Legislature’s sexual harassment policy.

Juneau – With a vote earlier today, the Alaska State Senate jeopardized the stiffer criminal penalties included in Senate Bill 54 to respond to the recent spike in crime in Alaska. By refusing to fix constitutional problems with the bill through a conference committee, the Senate has guaranteed the bill will be litigated, which would leave in place the lenient sentencing guidelines included in last year’s omnibus criminal justice reform bill.

Following two weeks of debate, public testimony, and consideration of amendments in the Judiciary Committee, the Finance Committee, and on the House Floor, SB 54 passed the House in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

Juneau – Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) issued the following statement in response to tonight’s announcement that the State of Alaska has entered into a joint development agreement for the long-awaited Alaska LNG Project. The agreement was signed by representatives from the State of Alaska, the Alaska Gaseline Development Corporation (AGDC), the Bank of China, the China Investment Corporation, and the oil and gas company Sinopec.

Juneau – Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) issued the following statement in response to today’s release of a Public Safety Action Plan for the State of Alaska by Alaska Governor Bill Walker. The plan is intended to address growing concerns about increasing rates of crime in Alaska.

After the 4th special legislative session gaveled in Monday, the House Judiciary Committee immediately took up SB 54, a bill to modify some provisions of criminal justice reform policy enacted with 2016’s SB 91. The committee took many hours of public testimony on Monday and Tuesday evenings and also consulted with experts from the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Law, and the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission.

Juneau – The House Finance Committee will meet on Saturday and Monday to accept public testimony on Senate Bill 54, making additional reforms to Alaska’s criminal justice system. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee late Thursday night and has been referred to the House Finance Committee.